Well, the time has finally come. Tomorrow I will be jetting off to Asia for the best part of 2 months. Current emotions include nerves, nerves and more nerves, a ridiculous amount of excitement and good old apprehension. For today's blog post I thought I would give you guys a sneaky peak into my hand luggage. What does one take on the plane for a long haul flight? Are sucky sweets really necessary? How many packets of gum are needed? Stay tuned to find out... The basics
1. The first thing of course is my purse. It's the best size for keeping essential cards, money and receipts in and has a zip, which of course is vital because ain't nobody got timeeeeee for losing coins. 2. A phone with a sturdy case is also very important. Good for keeping in contact with people, getting hold of useful information and Instagramming the occasional bowl of ramen (this I will be doing.) 3. A passport allows you to...travel. 4. I always carry an EMPTY water bottle with me (don't bring a full bottle of water as you will end up having to down it all at security and then will probably be bursting for a wee during take off, which is the only time you cannot use the loo, aha.) This is a special filter water bottle as I will be going to places where the water will not be 100% safe to drink. I highly recommend purchasing one of these if you are travelling somewhere and can't drink the tap water. It's also good in terms of saving money on buying lots of plastic bottles. I keep the little items in this cute purse, which I got from Lebanon. Having lots of small bags is really useful as it means you can put smaller things inside and not have to rummage around in your hand luggage to find them.
Electronics
1. I always take my camera wherever I go as this is my main means of taking pictures and videos. I use the Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90, which is a great little vlogging camera. It has Wi-Fi, a flip-up screen and shoots in 4k. 2. I use this mini tripod in case I am filming and want a steadier hand - it's super compact and you can latch it onto all sorts of different things around you thanks to its bendy legs. 3. My camera's charger. 4. I'm taking 4 memory cards with me (the 4th one is inside the camera I was using, aha.) It's always good to bring along a few just so you don't run the risk of being unable to take any more pictures. I also take a little cloth to wipe my screens. 5. I purchased this portable charger recently and oh my goodness, it is a life saver! I would STRONGLY recommend getting a portable charger - this one is cheap, tiny and you never know when you might need it. 6. My iPhone and iPod charger. 7. My iPod, case and earphones. I keep my electronics in my camera bag, which can be squished to fit into my hand luggage.
Paper stuff
1. Call me old-fashioned but I always bring at least one book with me. This is a long trip so I'm bringing 3 - 2 fiction and 1 non-fiction. 2. I always take a journal with me so I can log what I got up to each day. It's always fun and nostalgic to look back on! 3. Following on from the journal, bring at least one pen in case one runs out. 4. This is a document wallet. For this trip I am printing out all my flight and accommodation bookings and storing it in this folder so that I have important details at the ready. It was a total coincidence that this wallet is has a Japanese design on the front! Toiletries
1. Sanitary stuff is a necessity - this mini pack of tampons is handy as it's so small and fits neatly into hand luggage.
2. Flying always makes my skin feel so rubbish, so for long haul flights it's nice to treat your skin a bit with some hydrating face masks. I've got one for the flight to Asia and one for the flight back. 3. Tissues - useful for blowing noses, wiping spillages or drying your homesickness-induced tears. 4. Deodorant is good for freshening up. 5. Hand sanitiser is also good for freshening up. Airports and planes contain a heck of a lot of people which means a heck of a lot of germs, and it's good to keep clean where you can. 6. Planes can make your lips as well as your skin quite dry, so lip balm is essential. 7. A toothbrush and mini toothpaste for cleaning teeth if your flight is overnight, or if you just want to freshen your breath. I keep all of the toiletries in a little clear bag. Clothes / accessories
1. A beach bag. Good if you have one that folds / rolls easily so you can save space. 2. A spare swimsuit. 3. A spare change of clothes in case - God forbid - hold luggage goes missing. 4. Socks for a snug flight. 5. Sunglasses. Miscellaneous
1. A pillow case is really useful if you get given a pillow that looks a little bit dodgy. Also has other uses - can act as a little bag or something to wrap other things in. 2. Spare plastic bag. 3. A head torch isn't a necessity, but can be useful if you need a light and you don't want to use any of your electrical devices. 4. Adapters - pretty self-explanatory. 5. These are some waterproof phone cases that I'll be using whilst snorkeling (not on the plane, of course.)
So there you have it! My stuff is all packed and ready to go...
